Second Stage
by Spanish.x.Dancer
Summary: Sasuke has an illegitimate daughter, there are three new senseis, and several jounin just running around, and Shikamaru's son has taken an uneasy resemblance to his psychotic uncle. Lots of canon pairings, but no determined pairings for the many new faces


"Poor Tori-san. You should've done your homework before volunteering yourself to be a sensei."

"How was I supposed to know about her? The other two are nice and quiet, like their fathers." Yoshino Tori grumbled, taking a long sip of her tea. She really wanted sake, but as one of Konoha's top information gatherers, she knew better.

"Hence research. What kind of information gatherer are you supposed to be?" Tanaka Rei pressed, before taking a gulp of sake, which he had no qualms about.

"Damn good one, that's what." Tori pouted, the lone emerald eye not hidden by her untidy silver hair showing her displeasure. "How was I supposed to know she picked up insanity from somewhere down the family line? Though know that I think about it," she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Didn't her uncle-."

"You should've asked your brother! He teaches the academy students!" Dark blue stormy eyes rolled in annoyance. Obviously, the brown-haired nin thought that his former teammate was behaving foolishly.

"Bah." Was her defeated response, as she turned her attention to her tea.

"Rei, you shouldn't be drinking." Now Hyuuga Kyou joined in, setting his own cup of tea down. "Remember, we're meeting the new potential genins tomorrow." His features, typical of any Hyuuga, branch member or no, showed mild disapproval, as from one who was quite used to the other's antics.

"I wonder which ones will make it." Satou Dai mused, drumming her fingers on her cheek. "Honestly, I hope mine fail. They're little monsters. I'll just apply for ANBU, and stay in the field until someone else takes them." Blonde hair was pushed aside with a sigh of vexation.

"Dai-chan!" A new voice piped up, obviously masculine, and full of shock. "They're children!"

"I just hope they'll be better as adults." Dai replied, then glanced at her raven-haired friend. "Oh, Ishi, don't look at me like that!" She shifted around self-consciously, her long pink jacket, open enough to show her typical black shirt underneath, wrinkling slightly.

But Mizu Ishi didn't stop looking horrified, his cup of tea frozen inches from his lips, nearly spilling on his orange jacket that he got upon reaching chunin.

"Ishi-kun just likes children." Tori commented calmly, setting her tea down. "Quick, let's have kids!" Without warning, she jumped out of her chair and tackled Ishi to the ground. Second later she popped back up and rested her arms on the table, examining the other jounin's reactions.

Dai was staring at the spot where they had disappeared, pale blue eyes wide. Rei was lifting his head from under the table, looking disappointed. Kyou was staring determinedly at the decidedly fascinating sky, his fingers struggling to keep from forming the seal for the Byakugan.

"I thus table Rei an open pervert." The silver-haired woman sprang up and dusted off her baggy silver pants, then pointed at each of the other jounin in turn. "Kyou is a closet pervert , and Dai is... a girl."

Rei and Dai looked content enough, Kyou was glaring at her, and Ishi was shakily standing up, his face a brilliant red.

"Tease." Rei accused, yellow eyes gleaming playfully.

"To you, Rei-san, or Ishi-san?" Tori replied calmly, sitting back down in her seat, smoothing her silver hair down.

"Both." He answered matter-of-factly.

"I'm fine." Ishi piped up, his face dulling into a light rose color.

"Why didn't you take them, Kyou?" Tori questioned, boredly changing the subject to something more pressing. "Yanno, them all being prodigies, and you being one too."

"Because I've seen Yumi." The ebony-haired male responded calmly, pure snowy eyes staring at his tea. He was obviously still grumpy about being called a closet pervert. "The little fiend may be a prodigy, but she's far too absorbed in that fact."

"Like you were ashamed of your abilities!" Dai replied, rolling her eyes at her best friend. "You were good, and you weren't afraid to shout it from the rooftops!"

"I hardly shouted anything from the rooftops." Kyou replied icily. "And the past tense is not appreciate."

"Oh, come on." Dai pressed, her wide grin mischievous. "You know I was speaking figuratively. 'Humble' is not in your vocabulary."

"And yet, Yumi makes you look like Hinata-sama." Rei pointed out, eyeing the almost unused sake bottle.

Tori gave a dramatic sigh, nabbed the sake bottle, and handed it to the food stand owner. "That'll be all, despite the temptation." She told him grimly.

"Don't worry, Tori-chan! I'm sure that everything will be fine." Ishi assured her comfortingly.

"At least Kirt and Hiroshi are relatively normal." Dai added, making a face. "All of mine are just plain scary."

"We all feel your pain." Tori assured her in turn, holding up her tea cup in a toast. "I'll be able to meet my students, knowing you're worse off."

"Gee, thanks." The other kunoichi replied, tone dripping with sarcasm."

"Well, I need to plan out the first test." Tori rose and stretched. "The bell test is so old. The sensei's of our senseis have used it."

"And their senseis before them." Dai agreed calmly, rising to her own feet. "It's tradition. Mind you, my monsters will probably kill each other. At least Yumi won't be able to off the other two."

"My heart pounds with joy." Tori responded dryly.

"Really, you two make me feel lucky." Kyou told the kunoichis. "Mine are pretty calm."

"Yeah. Mine aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but they're sweet." Ishi added, smiling. He rose too, and made to leave.

"Sweetness doesn't complete missions." Rei told the raven-haired jounin primly, also on his feet.

"Sometimes it does." Tori countered, raising her eyebrows at him. "Shall I count the number of times I've squeaked out of a slippery situation by being pleasant?"

"That's undercover work. Spying." Rei grumbled half-heartedly.

"And damn important work, too." Tori replied seriously. "It was my team that found Orochumary;s hiding place."

There was no noise in response to this. Everyone was remembering that day, when the Hokage had battled Orochimaru. They had all been chunin at the time, when he was finally defeated, and Uchiha Sasuke rescued from the Sound.

It was silently that they departed each other, their thoughts on that fateful day.

Tori remembered it best. She had been there, she had seen the fight. It was a scene she would never forget. "And now I get to bring another group of squirts into it." She muttered to herself as she unlocked her door and entered.


End file.
